Aidnography

Every two weeks I am going to feature one of the chapters of our Handbook on Humanitarianism and Inequality which was published in spring 2024. This week we are taking a closer look at Chapter 38 - Discussing inequalities in evaluation of humanitarian action - contributed by Bonaventure Gbétoho Sokpoh and Tobias Denskus. From the introduction  This chapter is based on an interview with Bonaventure Gbétoho Sokpoh (BGS) that was conducted by Tobias Denskus (TD) in May 2022 via Zoom. The chapter presents excerpts from the interview, which were edited for length, clarity, and reading flow.  In the spirit of the Handbook we inserted academic references to the text afterwards to frame the different sections of the interview. These references point the reader to further academic references, policy guides, practical resources, and evaluation reports. However, the critical reflections from an expert with unique insights into the ‘engine room’ of humanitarian evaluations – as local e...

Every two weeks I am going to feature one of the chapters of our Handbook on Humanitarianism and Inequality which was published in spring 2024. This week we are taking a closer look at Chapter 37 - Power dynamics in the use of qualitative methods in humanitarianism - contributed by Margaux Pinaud, Kristina Tschunkert and Augusta Nannerini. From the introduction  The aim of this chapter is to discuss some of the key power dynamics arising in qualitative research by humanitarian scholars and organisations. Specifically, we aim to show how using qualitative methods in a particular way and for a particular purpose may perpetuate the inequalities that humanitarianism seeks to address. Acknowledging and engaging with these dynamics, we suggest, does not limit the quality of the research or of the data, but is essential to generate ethical, inclusive, and nuanced knowledge. Our background on this topic is primarily academic, since we are young, female, European scholars employed by Eur...